Was the Ben Askren vs Jake Paul Fight Rigged? | Explained
Moments after Jake Paul knocked out Ben Askren, many people would wonder whether or not that was a real fight.
In this page, we will explain whether or not Ben Askren vs Jake Paul was rigged.
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Was the Ben Askren vs Jake Paul Fight Rigged?
Although many factors of the fight seemed abnormal, the Ben Askren vs Jake Paul was not rigged like many fans speculated.
It simply came down being a complete mismatch.
Askren is a career-long wrestler, known for being one of the worst strikers in MMA history, who was already retired from Mixed Martial Arts.
He also had recently undergone extensive surgery, in the form of a hip replacement to fix his constant back pain.
On top of all of that, he would barely train for this fight, and show up out of shape.
Jake Paul on the other hand, was very young, and although he had only been boxing for a couple of years, he surrounded himself with a good team that allowed him to constantly improve.
After Paul would knock out Robinson, Joe Rogan would even comment on Jake Paul's boxing skills, saying:
When you look at how he knocked Nate Robinson out, that short hand that he threw was very skillful.
That was a real punch. It was perfectly placed and he can hit hard.
Jake Paul Lands a Right Hand
In a little under 2 minutes, Paul would land his best shot, an overhook right hand that would knock down Askren.
Askren would get back up moments afterwards, and the referee would ask him if he could continue, to which Askren would respond yes to.
The referee would then have Askren walk forward, but would not be convinced that Askren could safely continue, and would waive off the fight.
The ringside view of Jake Paul's TKO. @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/YgasSH1Br4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 18, 2021
The referee's decision to waive this off when most spectators believed it could continue, was a large decision why many thought this fight had been rigged.
The second main reason would be due to Askren being seen backstage smiling after the knockout.
Lastly, Askren was paid $500,000 for two minutes of work.
Askren would later go on the MMA Hour (one of the best MMA podcasts in the world), and comment on his loss saying:
Unfortunately I didn't get the result that i wanted to, but again, Monday afterwards I'm just going to go back to my every day life.
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